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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. ,.=;=£@#
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##$†=-..., the others think i'm young, they don't ,...-=†$##
##¶#¤=:~~¨ 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, .¨.,.-::¤#
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###¶%*^«:, 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. .:«==¤§###
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