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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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