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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.                                 #@¶¤§§/~-¨
¨-«;*%&@##                                          ##@&%*;«-¨
.^~:%&@&#£                                          £#&@&%:~^.
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