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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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