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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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