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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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##@&£$=-:. ,,, ¨. ¨~:=, .. .,¨ .:-=$£&@##
#££@%††~,. ... ,¨ ,=:»¨ ,¨ .¨, .,~††%@££#
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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. ..-=*£¤@@@
£%$*%%*=,¨ ¨,=*%%*$%£
##£#¤%/~~, 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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