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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. .,,¨¨,¨.^~
.¨.,¨,,.,. .,.,,¨,.¨.
»,..¨,¨.., 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. ¨.:-^%§¤##
##£¤%%;~^. .^~;%%¤£##
##&§$*=,., FOR IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A NEW MOON IN ,.,=*$§#
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