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