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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. ,~=*†%£¶##
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###§%%*»,. 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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