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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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,....,.,¨¨ ¨¨,.,....,