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