»^,.,.,.,, ,,.,.,.,^»
^~,.¨.,¨¨, ,¨¨,.¨.,~^
@*=...¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨...=*@
#&*».,..,, ,,..,.»*&#
#¤%^~~¨.,¨ ¨,.¨~~^%¤#
@@@*\~~¨¨¨ , ^ » ^ ^ - ~ . ¨¨¨~~\*@@@
##@§£=».¨¨ . ^ » † ^ « , . ¨¨.»=£§@##
###¶§%/~.¨ , ^ » : : ~ . ¨ ¨.~/%§¶###
##¶§%*«:,¨ . . = † : » . . ¨,:«*%§¶##
##§@/«.,., ,.,.«/@§##
@@$/».,,.¨ AS WE CROSS THE MOUNTAIN, WE CAN WALK ¨.,,.»/$@@
#@*~,,.,¨. 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. ¨¨¨,..,.¨¨
.,¨.,,,,¨. .¨,,,,.¨,.
~.,¨,.,.¨, ,¨.,.,¨,.~
\-,,,,.,., ,.,.,,,,-\
£/«^,..... .....,^«/£
#*;«,¨¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨¨,«;*#
£@&†~,,¨¨. .¨¨,,~†&@£