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