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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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