/=^,¨,.,,¨ ¨,,.,¨,^=/
~,.,,,,¨.¨ ¨.¨,,,,.,~
-¨.¨.,¨,¨. .¨,¨,.¨.¨-
.,.,,¨..¨, ,¨..¨,,.,.
,..¨,¨.... ....¨,¨..,
¨.¨,,.,.¨¨ . ^ ~ ^ ; - ^ , ¨¨.,.,,¨.¨
.,,..¨.¨¨, , ~ - † : = , . ,¨¨.¨..,,.
.¨,¨,,..¨¨ ¨ . ~ = \ = ~ ¨ ¨¨..,,¨,¨.
,.¨.,¨¨¨,. ¨ : » ; / ~ . . .,¨¨¨,.¨.,
~:.¨,.,¨,. .,¨,.,¨.:~
*«^.¨¨¨.., 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. .¨¨¨,.-†%%
^†=:....¨, ,¨....:=†^
\».,¨¨¨..¨ ¨..¨¨¨,.»\
»^¨,,¨...¨ ¨...¨,,¨^»
.¨...,,¨., ,.¨,,...¨.
,,¨,.¨¨,,, ,,,¨¨.,¨,,
¨¨¨,,¨¨¨,¨ ¨,¨¨¨,,¨¨¨