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