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