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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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