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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 .^-:%%@@@@
##£#£$^~~, drawing of a muscle cow, but i could ,~~^$£#£##
#@¶¤$=;«-. care less right now. .-«;=$¤¶@#
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#@#§&%^~^. for it seems like there's a new moon in .^~^%&§#@#
##@¤*^\~,. the sky. .,~\^*¤@##
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