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