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