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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. ¨-~=§*&##@
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#@¶¤¤%†~,. 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 ,.¨.,.,^%#
£&$%=\-¨,¨ impossible. ¨,¨-\=%$&£
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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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