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