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