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