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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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