,,.«;$$@## ##@$$;«.,,
,.»:§§£@## ##@£§§:».,
.¨,»^%%@## ##@%%^»,¨.
..¨^-*=¤£# #£¤=*-^¨..
¨¨,,,=;*££ ££*;=,,,¨¨
,..,.,«^*£ , ~ « * ^ « , , £*^«,.,..,
.¨.¨.,.-/* ¨ ~ - = \ ~ ~ ¨ */-.,.¨.¨.
,,,,,,..~: , , « : = » , ¨ :~..,,,,,,
..,.,.,.,« , ~ ~ † : - - , «,.,.,.,..
,.,,,,,.-† †-.,,,,,.,
¨¨,,,.^~^= 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 £$^†=,¨¨.,
,¨,¨¨,~:†& CARE LESS RIGHT NOW. &†:~,¨¨,¨,
,¨...¨.~\* *\~.¨...¨,
,¨.¨,,¨~»* FOR IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A NEW MOON IN *»~¨,,¨.¨,
.,....¨¨:~ THE SKY. ~:¨¨....,.
¨.¨¨¨,,:«= =«:,,¨¨¨.¨
,¨,¨¨¨,«:$ $:«,¨¨¨,¨,
,¨¨¨¨:~/†£ £†/~:¨¨¨¨,
,¨.,:-:*§¤ ¤§*:-:,.¨,
,.,~-\=%@# #@%=\-~,.,
.¨,»\%§### ###§%\»,¨.