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