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