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