.,,:,=~†&§                                          §&†~=,:,,.
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,^=^†££¤&&                                          &&¤££†^=^,
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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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¨¨¨¨¨==%§#                                          #§%==¨¨¨¨¨