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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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