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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. ,,-;†&§¶@#
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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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