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