.-=^†%§£##                                          ##£§%†^=-.
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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.                     ¶@#%~~,¨..
¨^~/^\/%@@                                          @@%/\^/~^¨
,-=^*$§@## for it  seems like there's a new moon in ##@§$*^=-,
..¨.~~*@$£ the sky.                                 £$@*~~.¨..
,¨:,-=$¤##                                          ##¤$=-,:¨,
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,,,^«%*§##                                          ##§*%«^,,,
,,«†§££@@@                                          @@@££§†«,,
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