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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, ¨,.^,-^†$£
#@@@@†/~-. pointing.                                .-~/†@@@@#
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¶*^«~,¨.¨¨ ,.. ., ,~\-. .¨ .¨,                      ¨¨.¨,~«^*¶
@¤=*-,¨.,. ¨¨. ,¨ ,-/~¨ ,. .,.                      .,.¨,-*=¤@
§$%~,¨,,.. ,¨, ,¨ ¨=^-¨ ¨¨ ¨¨,                      ..,,¨,~%$§
#@#¤%*/»-. ,¨¨ ¨. ¨=;-¨ .¨ ¨,¨                      .-»/*%¤#@#
#£$%\»,.,, .,, ,, .-;~¨ ,. ,¨.                      ,,.,»\%$£#
£¶@§;-:¨,¨ ¨.¨ ¨¨ ,-\~, .. .¨,                      ¨,¨:-;§@¶£
¤=»,,..,,, ¨,¨ ,¨ .-*=, ¨, ,,.                      ,,,..,,»=¤
#@@§%%†~:. ¨¨, ,. ,~*~¨ ¨, ,,.                      .:~†%%§@@#
###§$§^~,¨                                          ¨,~^§$§###
@*%*~,¨¨¨¨ my greatest treasure, the                ¨¨¨¨,~*%*@
#@@££§*=^, book of stars,  is   a   combined   map, ,^=*§££@@#
#@&%†*~~¨, calendar and  timepiece as long  as  you ,¨~~*†%&@#
#%%^/:~.,¨ know what year  it is.  every page is  a ¨,.~:/^%%#
##@§@$*~~¨ 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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@¶£$%~^¨,,                                          ,,¨^~%$£¶@