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