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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, ¨,.,»:*@¤@
§§=.,.¨,,, 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 ,-~†%@¤¶@#
#@£#$§^»-. care less right now. .-»^§$#£@#
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##§$£=†=:¨ for it seems like there's a new moon in ¨:=†=£$§##
##£§£§\«^¨ the sky. ¨^«\§£§£##
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