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