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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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