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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. ,,.¨.¨¨¨¨^
~-..¨¨.¨.. ..¨.¨¨..-~
;«.¨¨¨¨,¨. 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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