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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. .:==†@¤£##
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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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