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