:~.,¨...¨¨ ¨¨...¨,.~:
-,¨,¨¨,¨.¨ ¨.¨,¨¨,¨,-
,,¨¨..,¨,¨ ¨,¨,..¨¨,,
¨¨..,...¨, ,¨...,..¨¨
¨,¨.,¨,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,¨,.¨,¨
¨,.¨.¨...¨ ¨ ^ » ; / » , ¨ ¨...¨.¨.,¨
,.¨,¨,,,,¨ , . = : † ~ ^ ¨ ¨,,,,¨,¨.,
,¨,.¨.,,¨, . , ~ ; / ~ ^ . ,¨,,.¨.,¨,
^¨.¨¨¨..,, , : » \ \ « , ¨ ,,..¨¨¨.¨^
~,¨,¨...,, ,,...¨,¨,~
\~-¨¨¨.¨¨. 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. ¨,¨,,-«:^%
%:-,..¨¨.. ..¨¨..,-:%
^~~,¨¨,.,¨ ¨,.,¨¨,~~^
~,,¨.¨¨,.. ..,¨¨.¨,,~
,....¨,,,¨ ¨,,,¨....,
¨,¨,¨¨¨¨¨. .¨¨¨¨¨,¨,¨
,,.¨.¨.¨., ,.¨.¨.¨.,,