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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 ..«:$*&@@#
£@*~-~¨.¨. the corner have stopped, shouting, .¨.¨~-~*@£
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&&$†\††~.. 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 .-==$¤@@##
##@#%=;~-, grid of nine starfields, hand drawn, ,-~;=%#@##
¤^~^,¨¨,,. below which are written coordinates in .,,¨¨,^~^¤
¶£#&£**«., both space and time. a lot of it is ,.«**£&#£¶
#@¶¤&%\--. applicable on earth, but not all. it .--\%&¤¶@#
##£&&^†-:¨ hints of other places - some stars ¨:-†^&&£##
###@#£%/»: reordered, some names i have never :»/%£#@###
##¶£¤†^~~¨ heard. sometimes the dates are ¨~~^†¤£¶##
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####&£%/^. those pages are exactly what i scramble .^/%£&####
§%^~^.,,.¨ for right now. i've stopped breathing. ¨.,,.^~^%§
##%/-:,,¨¨ i sling open the book of stars a bit ¨¨,,:-/%##
@@@§£*;~,, too quick, spilling all my notes on the ,,~;*£§@@@
##@&%=:-^¨ ground. one lands on my foot, it is a ¨^-:=%&@##
¤&/*††:-.. drawing of a muscle cow, but i could ..-:††*/&¤
#@@§$^^«~, care less right now. ,~«^^$§@@#
#@£†;«¨¨,, ,,¨¨«;†£@#
@#£&§*;»-, for it seems like there's a new moon in ,-»;*§&£#@
#@¶&&§/-:, the sky. ,:-/§&&¶@#
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