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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 ¨¨,~-\§¤&£
#¤$\»^.,,, SUNSET THE AIR COMES RAINING BACK DOWN ,,,.^»\$¤#
%§:-,¨,,,. AND GETS THICK ENOUGH TO BREATHE. IT .,,,¨,-:§%
§*=~¨¨¨.,¨ CARRIES WITH IT SMELLS FROM FAR AWAY, ¨,.¨¨¨~=*§
:~~.¨,.,.. COLOURFUL SPARKS FOR THE IMAGINATION, A ..,.,¨.~~:
~~,.,,¨¨.. SHARP CONTRAST FOR THE STALE BLACK OF ..¨¨,,.,~~
,¨...,¨.,, THE NIGHT. ,,.¨,...¨,
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~¨¨.¨,..¨, THE OTHERS THINK I'M YOUNG, THEY DON'T ,¨..,¨.¨¨~
~,¨,..,,,, TAKE ME SERIOUSLY AND I FEAR THEY ,,,,..,¨,~
*~.,¨,.,¨¨ SNICKER A BIT. YOU USUALLY GET OLD ¨¨,.,¨,.~*
*:«....¨¨¨ BEFORE YOU LEARN THE TRADE ENOUGH TO ¨¨¨....«:*
@**«,¨...¨ TAKE OTHER PEOPLE. BUT I DO LEAD THEM ¨...¨,«**@
&%%^-.,,.¨ SAFELY FORWARD, EVERY NIGHT. ¨.,,.-^%%&
#@§*;=.,¨. .¨,.=;*§@#
#£@$†^~,,. HOWEVER, CURRENTLY THERE SEEMS TO BE .,,~^†$@£#
####£*/~,. SOMETHING GOING ON AHEAD. THOSE AROUND .,~/*£####
##@£§/»~¨. THE CORNER HAVE STOPPED, SHOUTING, .¨~»/§£@##
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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. ,.¨,¨,»^%§
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@#$$:»^,,¨ FOR IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A NEW MOON IN ¨,,^»:$$#@
@#@&%;~~,, THE SKY. ,,~~;%&@#@
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