¨^~^=%§#@#                                          #@#§%=^~^¨
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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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