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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 .^-\^$¤¶@#
##££¤=:~,. something going on ahead. those around .,~:=¤££##
@*\:,¨,.,. the corner have stopped, shouting, .,.,¨,:\*@
§&/,,..¨,¨ pointing. ¨,¨..,,/&§
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#@¶£%*\=^¨ ¨¨¨ .¨ ¨~:»¨ ¨. ,.. ¨^=\*%£¶@#
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##¶§£†;~,, my greatest treasure, the ,,~;†£§¶##
#@@§§§/~,¨ book of stars, is a combined map, ¨,~/§§§@@#
##¶£@$=»,¨ 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 ¨^=:$£####
#%%;.,...¨ impossible. ¨...,.;%%#
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#@¤£†~«.., those pages are exactly what i scramble ,..«~†£¤@#
#£§=¨...,. for right now. i've stopped breathing. .,...¨=§£#
##@§§*:=-. i sling open the book of stars a bit .-=:*§§@##
@##§%^†~-. too quick, spilling all my notes on the .-~†^%§##@
£&&%=~.,,, ground. one lands on my foot, it is a ,,,.~=%&&£
@¤$~»«~,.. 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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