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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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