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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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