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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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§=~,,¨,¨¨. ,.. ., .~:»¨ ¨, ¨.. .¨¨,¨,,~=§
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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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