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