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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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#@@#$†;«^¨ .,, ,. ¨~†~¨ ¨, ..¨ ¨^«;†$#@@#
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£%=*~»¨,¨¨ ,.. ,. .~^=, ,. ¨.¨ ¨¨,¨»~*=%£
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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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