....,¨..., ,...¨,....
..,.¨,.,.¨ ¨.,.,¨.,..
,...¨.¨¨,. .,¨¨.¨...,
,.¨.¨,,,,, ,,,,,¨.¨.,
¨¨¨¨¨.,.¨, ,¨.,.¨¨¨¨¨
,,¨¨¨..,:~ , : - = \ « . ¨ ~:,..¨¨¨,,
,...,¨.,~* ¨ - = \ † = ^ ¨ *~,.¨,...,
¨¨¨,,.,«/= . ^ » : / - : , =/«,.,,¨¨¨
...,.,~/*¤ . ^ ~ † = ~ , ¨ ¤*/~,.,...
,.,.,==*¤§ §¤*==,.,.,
,.¨-=:=%@¶ 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. ~,,¨.,,¨,.
,,.,¨¨¨¨.. ..¨¨¨¨,.,,
,,¨¨.,..¨, ,¨..,.¨¨,,
.,¨¨.,.¨.. ..¨.,.¨¨,.
¨,.,,¨.,¨. .¨,.¨,,.,¨
,,.,.,.,¨¨ ¨¨,.,.,.,,
.,..,¨¨,.~ ~.,¨¨,..,.