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