.:~\§££@##                                          ##@££§\~:.
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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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