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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. ..,.,.¨,.~
=«,¨,¨.,¨¨ ¨¨,.¨,¨,«=
%†»-¨¨,,¨¨ 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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