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