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