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