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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, ,.,.=*%%¤£
#@#@¤$:»:, pointing. ,:»:$¤@#@#
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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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