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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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