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