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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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