.^-^*¤@###                                          ###@¤*^-^.
¨-==«†*%§§                                          §§%*†«==-¨
.^~~\^%££#                                          #££%^\~~^.
.,»;*%§###                                          ###§%*;»,.
¨~~\*£@###                                          ###@£*\~~¨
,¨,¨,†*%§§ ¨   ,   «   ;              †   ~   .   ¨ §§%*†,¨,¨,
,,¨,¨»%§£¶  .   ^   ~   †            *   =   :   .  ¶£§%»¨,¨,,
,,¨.¨,^/*§   ,   .   »   :          ;   «   :   ,   §*/^,¨.¨,,
¨~«:§¤£@£#    .   ,   ~   :        /   ~   ,   ¨    #£@£¤§:«~¨
¨,.,:==*£#                                          #£*==:,.,¨
.,-:%%@@## 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.                                 ##@¤%§*«~,
,.,¨.~=¤%#                                          #%¤=~.¨,.,
.,»^*££#@@                                          @@#££*^»,.
¨.=*%£&#@#                                          #@#&£%*=.¨
,..,»^§@£#                                          #£@§^»,..,
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.,¨,,:;^##                                          ##^;:,,¨,.