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