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