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