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