¨¨.¨¨¨¨,¨. .¨,¨¨¨¨.¨¨
.,,..¨,,., ,.,,¨..,,.
..¨¨..¨.¨, ,¨.¨..¨¨..
..,¨,¨,¨.¨ ¨.¨,¨,¨,..
,,,..¨...¨ ¨...¨..,,,
¨,..¨,.¨,¨ ¨ , » : = « , ¨ ¨,¨.,¨..,¨
¨,¨¨,.,¨.~ . . « = † ~ . . ~.¨,.,¨¨,¨
¨¨..,.,¨,~ . ~ = † ^ » . ¨ ~,¨,.,..¨¨
.¨.¨¨¨,.=^ ¨ , = / / » . . ^=.,¨¨¨.¨.
.,...¨-~/= =/~-¨...,.
..¨¨.~~=$¤ AS WE CROSS THE MOUNTAIN, WE CAN WALK ¤$=~~.¨¨..
,...~-=*@@ 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. #§£*/«~¨..
¨¨^»==£#@# #@#£==»^¨¨
.^~/^§§### ###§§^/~^.
,.-~;§¤&@# #@&¤§;~-.,
,...«†=$§# #§$=†«...,
¨¨¨..~\^¤§ §¤^\~..¨¨¨
.,..¨~~†=¤ ¤=†~~¨..,.