¶££§«»^,.¨                                          ¨.,^»«§££¶
#@#@*%==-,                                          ,-==%*@#@#
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§£%=~«...,                                          ,...«~=%£§
#@$:-.,.¨¨ ¨   ~   =   †              *   =   :   , ¨¨.,.-:$@#
#@@¤$§\«.,  ¨   ,   ~   ^            *   ~   -   .  ,.«\§$¤@@#
###&£%*-~¨   .   .   -   ^          ^   -   ^   .   ¨~-*%£&###
@§§*:=,:,.    ,   ~   ~   \        \   »   ~   ¨    .,:,=:*§§@
§@§«~¨.¨.,                                          ,.¨.¨~«§@§
##¶&¤%;~:¨ as  we cross the mountain, we  can  walk ¨:~;%¤&¶##
¤@=,,¨¨,,¨ only  at night. long  ago,  someone here ¨,,¨¨,,=@¤
##£§†«»«~¨ must've  angered the  sun,  and today it ¨~«»«†§£##
@@=\*†;«^¨ still burns us strangely.  but with  the ¨^«;†*\=@@
¶£:.¨,..,¨ sunset  the  air comes raining back down ¨,..,¨.:£¶
#@¶@$*:=.¨ and  gets  thick enough to  breathe.  it ¨.=:*$@¶@#
#&§§$/«^., carries with  it smells from  far  away, ,.^«/$§§&#
##@&$%\~-¨ colourful sparks  for the imagination, a ¨-~\%$&@##
#@#@%*†«-, sharp contrast for  the stale  black  of ,-«†*%@#@#
@§@=†,..¨¨ the night.                               ¨¨..,†=@§@
##¶££%/~^,                                          ,^~/%££¶##
¤£†%†;-~¨¨ the others think i'm  young,  they don't ¨¨~-;†%†£¤
###¤@%\-^, take  me  seriously  and  i  fear   they ,^-\%@¤###
§%*=%/.:¨, snicker  a  bit.  you  usually  get  old ,¨:./%=*%§
###@%$;«-, before  you  learn the  trade enough  to ,-«;$%@###
##@@@&*:«, take other people.  but  i do  lead them ,«:*&@@@##
@¤§†~..,,¨ safely     forward,     every     night. ¨,,..~†§¤@
###@¤*\~,¨                                          ¨,~\*¤@###
##¶&§§\~,, however, currently  there  seems  to  be ,,~\§§&¶##
#@&$%*=»,, something  going  on ahead. those around ,,»=*%$&@#
##£§%§\-,. the  corner   have   stopped,  shouting, .,-\§%§£##
¶**=~~«¨,¨ pointing.                                ¨,¨«~~=**¶
#@#§$^^~,¨                                          ¨,~^^$§#@#
¤§$$%*^«-, ,,¨ ¨, .«/-. ¨¨ .¨,                      ,-«^*%$$§¤
#@#&**=«.¨ .,¨ ,. ,»^-. ,¨ ¨,¨                      ¨.«=**&#@#
#@#¤%†:~., ,.. ¨¨ ¨~^«. .. .¨.                      ,.~:†%¤#@#
§*^~:,~,,¨ ,,, ¨¨ .=;«, ¨. ,¨¨                      ¨,,~,:~^*§
#@@#&%=~-, ,,¨ ¨¨ ¨-;«, .. ¨¨,                      ,-~=%&#@@#
##@&§§=~~¨ ¨,. ¨, ,-^-¨ ., ¨,¨                      ¨~~=§§&@##
#@¶&&=^»,. ¨¨¨ .. ,»:~¨ .¨ ¨¨¨                      .,»^=&&¶@#
#@£@=\,.,¨ ¨., ., ¨«^=¨ ¨¨ ,.,                      ¨,.,\=@£@#
###&%^=~,.                                          .,~=^%&###
@##¤%†^«^¨ my greatest treasure, the                ¨^«^†%¤##@
###££$\«^. book of stars,   is   a   combined  map, .^«\$££###
##£#¤%†-,, calendar and  timepiece as long  as  you ,,-†%¤#£##
##@@#@%\.. know what year it is.  every page  is  a ..\%@#@@##
###&¤%\~.¨ grid of  nine  starfields,  hand  drawn, ¨.~\%¤&###
###§@^;~., below  which are  written coordinates in ,.~;^@§###
§&&&†....¨ both  space  and  time.  a lot of it  is ¨....†&&&§
#@#@¤$†»-, applicable on  earth,  but  not  all. it ,-»†$¤@#@#
£$¤*«,,~., hints  of  other  places  -  some  stars ,.~,,«*¤$£
##@&£^^~~¨ reordered,   some  names  i  have  never ¨~~^^£&@##
¶#£$:~¨¨,, heard.   sometimes    the   dates    are ,,¨¨~:$£#¶
#§£%%%==:¨ impossible.                              ¨:==%%%£§#
@§~^,...¨¨                                          ¨¨...,^~§@
@@§&&§:--¨ those pages  are exactly what i scramble ¨--:§&&§@@
£#=%=;==,¨ for right  now. i've  stopped breathing. ¨,==;=%=#£
@¤£^\^¨,¨, i sling  open  the  book of stars a  bit ,¨,¨^\^£¤@
£**§†^;~^. too quick, spilling all my notes on  the .^~;^†§**£
££*~,^:¨,¨ ground.  one lands on my  foot, it is  a ¨,¨:^,~*££
@#§-«,,,., drawing of  a  muscle cow, but  i  could ,.,,,«-§#@
££/;»:¨¨.¨ care less right now.                     ¨.¨¨:»;/££
##@£*^*~,¨                                          ¨,~*^*£@##
£¤#*~~»~:. for it seems like there's a new moon  in .:~»~~*#¤£
#@@§§†/«^, the sky.                                 ,^«/†§§@@#
#@#&¤**»,.                                          .,»**¤&#@#
#@##¤%†«-.                                          .-«†%¤##@#
##@&£*\~^.                                          .^~\*£&@##
###@¤£:~:.                                          .:~:£¤@###
#¤$=~..¨..                                          ..¨..~=$¤#
##@#%$=»:.                                          .:»=$%#@##