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