.,~«-»=%@#                                          #@%=»-«~,.
¨,~\§@§§@#                                          #@§§@§\~,¨
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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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,,.,,.-†$§                                          §$†-.,,.,,