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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. ##@¤$*†-,¨
¨¨.,,¨,/*&                                          &*/,¨,,.¨¨
¨¨:,«~~†%@ however, currently  there  seems  to  be @%†~~«,:¨¨
,:~†*£&£## something  going on  ahead. those around ##£&£*†~:,
,.«;%§#@## the  corner  have   stopped,   shouting, ##@#§%;«.,
..-::*&¤## pointing.                                ##¤&*::-..
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¨^~†=$@@%§ ,¨, ., ,~\», .¨ .¨¨                      §%@@$=†~^¨
.,«;=$%£#@ ¨,, ,. .-†«. .. ,.¨                      @#£%$=;«,.
..¨,~.=%¤£ .¨¨ .¨ ¨-;». ,. ,¨¨                      £¤%=.~,¨..
.¨¨,¨-;$&& ¨¨, ., .=*=¨ ,¨ ,,,                      &&$;-¨,¨¨.
.-~/%§#@## ¨¨, ¨. ¨~/»¨ ¨. ¨.¨                      ##@#§%/~-.
,:~\†&&### ¨.. ¨, ,«;-, ,. ,¨¨                      ###&&†\~:,
¨,¨.^«†&#@ ¨¨, ,¨ ¨=*». .. ,.,                      @#&†«^.¨,¨
,¨.,«§=&#@                                          @#&=§«,.¨,
¨,~\%$¤¶## 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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