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