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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, .¨~-/§%§@@
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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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