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