..:^:†\§§@                                          @§§\†:^:..
,~»†%^$§&£                                          £&§$^%†»~,
.,,.~%^&§@                                          @§&^%~.,,.
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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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..~/%%@£##                                          ##£@%%/~..
¨,-=~«%§@@                                          @@§%«~=-,¨