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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. ¨,^»†§=†£@
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#%;,,,¨¨,¨ 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 ,^=;%%#£#¤
##¶@@$=~.. drawing of a muscle cow, but i could ..~=$@@¶##
#@##$%\«~¨ care less right now. ¨~«\%$##@#
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##£&&§†»,¨ for it seems like there's a new moon in ¨,»†§&&£##
###£%*=«^. the sky. .^«=*%£###
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