..~*%¤####                                          ####¤%*~..
,,»/$¤¤£##                                          ##£¤¤$/»,,
....,-†§@&                                          &@§†-,....
¨:=^=@%§£@                                          @£§%@=^=:¨
..-:%£§###                                          ###§£%:-..
.:=:*£§¶## ¨   ^   =   *              †   -   ^   , ##¶§£*:=:.
.,,¨¨¨--†@  ,   ,   ~   \            ^   =   ~   .  @†--¨¨¨,,.
,.~*†¤£¶##   ¨   ^   -   *          *   =   .   ,   ##¶£¤†*~.,
¨:=/§£§§¶#    ¨   ,   ~   =        *   ~   -   ¨    #¶§§£§/=:¨
¨:~\*§@###                                          ###@§*\~:¨
¨^~/†*%$$£ as we cross  the  mountain,  we can walk £$$%*†/~^¨
¨.»**£¤&¶# 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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,,¨~»**£¤£                                          £¤£**»~¨,,