^=,¨.¨¨,.. ..,¨¨.¨,=^
=-..¨¨.,¨¨ ¨¨,.¨¨..-=
~..,¨,¨,.. ..,¨,¨,..~
.¨¨,,¨¨,.. ..,¨¨,,¨¨.
.,,.¨¨¨,,. .,,¨¨¨.,,.
,..¨¨,¨,¨. . ~ = \ ^ = . ¨ .¨,¨,¨¨..,
.¨,¨,,,,., , ~ « / \ - . . ,.,,,,¨,¨.
,¨..,,.¨., , ^ » * ^ » , , ,.¨.,,..¨,
~..,.,¨,,. . ~ - \ : ~ , ¨ .,,¨,.,..~
~:¨¨....,. .,....¨¨:~
^~,.¨,,..¨ 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. .¨¨.¨-=:†@
†^~.¨.,.¨¨ ¨¨.,.¨.~^†
\=:.¨.,,¨, ,¨,,.¨.:=\
-,¨,,.¨,.. ..,¨.,,¨,-
,.,¨,¨¨,¨, ,¨,¨¨,¨,.,
¨¨¨.¨¨,¨,, ,,¨,¨¨.¨¨¨
¨,..,¨,,., ,.,,¨,..,¨