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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.                                ...~«%=†@£
#$%%*«~«~¨                                          ¨~«~«*%%$#
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##*†~¨,,.. .,¨ ¨. ,~=~. ,, .¨.                      ..,,¨~†*##
#¶£§§*†~,,                                          ,,~†*§§£¶#
@#%~^¨¨,.¨ 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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#££¤@%*=^.                                          .^=*%@¤££#