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