#£%†*«:¨,,                                          ,,¨:«*†%£#
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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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##¤£§^~..¨                                          ¨..~^§£¤##
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