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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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