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