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~^,,¨,¨,.¨ ¨ , ~ ; † ~ , ¨ ¨.,¨,¨,,^~
*=:,..,,.. ¨ ^ ~ \ * - . , ..,,..,:=*
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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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###¤&†*~,, ,¨. ,, .-/«, ,¨ .¨, ,,~*†&¤###
##£&^:»-,, ,,-»:^&£##
£§*%;~^.,, 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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