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