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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. $;»:.¨¨,.,
,¨....¨.=† †=.¨....¨,
.¨.¨..^»== HOWEVER, CURRENTLY THERE SEEMS TO BE ==»^..¨.¨.
....,,«;%& SOMETHING GOING ON AHEAD. THOSE AROUND &%;«,,....
.,.¨,~\†&¶ THE CORNER HAVE STOPPED, SHOUTING, ¶&†\~,¨.,.
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,¨,.-=†=$¶ 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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