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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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###¤$^;-,. .,. ., ¨«†~. .. ¨¨. .,-;^$¤###
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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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