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