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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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