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