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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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