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