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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. ##@&%*=~^¨
¨-~†%£§@#@ @#@§£%†~-¨
,.»†*%@£## ¨., .¨ ¨»^«¨ ¨. .¨. ##£@%*†».,
.,-=^&¤### ¨.¨ ¨. ,-†«¨ ,, ,,, ###¤&^=-,.
.-=\=£¤£@# ¨,¨ ,, ¨»=». ¨¨ ,¨¨ #@£¤£=\=-.
,,¨,.-/:£# ,., ¨¨ ,~†»¨ ,. ¨¨¨ #£:/-.,¨,,
,..¨««%$&£ ,,, ¨. ,«†«, ., ¨.¨ £&$%««¨..,
,~«;§%¤@@# ¨,, ,, .«*», ., ¨,, #@@¤%§;«~,
¨¨¨¨-.,»^@ ,.. ¨. .»\~, ., ¨.. @^»,.-¨¨¨¨
.,~^=£¤### ¨,¨ .. ¨»^=, .. ,.. ###¤£=^~,.
.,»^%@§@@# #@@§@%^»,.
.~~==§¶@## 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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