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