##£#¤*;»^.                                          .^»;*¤#£##
##&£%†~-.,                                          ,.-~†%£&##
#££%†-~..¨                                          ¨..~-†%££#
#£*^»~¨,,¨                                          ¨,,¨~»^*£#
£=^-:,,.,,                                          ,,.,,:-^=£
@$*\~:¨¨.. ,   -   =   \              †   »   ,   . ..¨¨:~\*$@
#&&*/»,.¨¨  ,   -   ~   ;            †   =   .   ¨  ¨¨.,»/*&&#
#@#$%;«~..   ¨   ~   ~   *          =   =   .   ,   ..~«;%$#@#
##@@$$*~.,    ¨   -   «   /        †   «   ^   ,    ,.~*$$@@##
#¶£@%=~-¨,                                          ,¨-~=%@£¶#
¶£$^=~,.,. as we cross  the mountain,  we  can walk .,.,~=^$£¶
¤£§*~:,¨¨. 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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¶§$**~:¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:~**$§¶