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