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