£¤=:~^¨,,. .,,¨^~:=¤£
£^=-.,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,.-=^£
†^«,...,.. ..,...,«^†
\»,,..,.,. .,.,..,,»\
~......¨,. .,¨......~
~¨¨.,¨¨.¨. , ^ ~ ^ = = : , .¨.¨¨,.¨¨~
¨¨¨¨¨,.¨., . , = † : » , , ,.¨.,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨,...,¨,. , ^ - ^ / - - , .,¨,...,¨¨
..¨,¨...,¨ ¨ , ~ * * ~ ^ ¨ ¨,...¨,¨..
,,.¨,..¨¨, ,¨¨..,¨.,,
~,¨.,¨¨,¨. 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. ,¨,.,..,-«
-¨,.,¨.,., ,.,.¨,.,¨-
¨...¨¨,.¨. .¨.,¨¨...¨
.¨.¨,¨..,¨ ¨,..¨,¨.¨.
.,..¨¨¨.,, ,,.¨¨¨..,.
~.¨,¨..¨,. .,¨..¨,¨.~
~^,.¨¨¨.,. .,.¨¨¨.,^~