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