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