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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. ..¨¨.,^%@£
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#@¤%/~--,¨ however, currently there seems to be ¨,--~/%¤@#
¤$«:,¨...¨ something going on ahead. those around ¨...¨,:«$¤
###¤**=~^. the corner have stopped, shouting, .^~=**¤###
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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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