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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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###@%**~^. .^~**%@###
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