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