#@@¤$:-^,. .,^-:$¤@@#
@@£=\~,,., ,.,,~\=£@@
#$=*~:,.¨, ,¨.,:~*=$#
§==~,.,.,. .,.,.,~==§
*/«,.,,,., ,.,,,.,«/*
*«~,.¨¨¨., . , = = † « . , ,.¨¨¨.,~«*
=^,.¨,¨,¨, . ^ ~ ^ * « , , ,¨,¨,¨.,^=
;~-,¨.¨..¨ ¨ , ~ ^ = « , . ¨..¨.¨,-~;
*†-^.¨.,¨, ¨ , = ; ^ » : , ,¨,.¨.^-†*
%§;=:¨¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨¨:=;§%
¶$%/~-..,¨ AS WE CROSS THE MOUNTAIN, WE CAN WALK ¨,..-~/%$¶
@#$%*«,¨¨. ONLY AT NIGHT. LONG AGO, SOMEONE HERE .¨¨,«*%$#@
##¶***=,., 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. ¨,,,,,,-:%
&†:=,...¨¨ ¨¨...,=:†&
#$%=-~,¨,¨ ¨,¨,~-=%$#
##£$†«,.¨¨ ¨¨.,«†$£##
##£@*†=~.¨ ¨.~=†*@£##
###¶$§/~,, ,,~/§$¶###
#@@**/~.,. .,.~/**@@#