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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 ..-=*%@###
#@@§$=».,¨ impossible. ¨,.»=$§@@#
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##¶£=;-,¨, 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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