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