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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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