,¨¨~*^=$%# #%$=^*~¨¨,
,,»\*§&¶## ##¶&§*\»,,
.,~=*&@@## ##@@&*=~,.
¨¨¨~*\†%@# #@%†\*~¨¨¨
.:~**§££@@ @@££§**~:.
.-=*%¤@### . - ~ ^ \ ~ - , ###@¤%*=-.
¨,»\*§@@## ¨ . ~ * ; » ~ ¨ ##@@§*\»,¨
¨,~*$§¤@## , ^ = = = « , . ##@¤§$*~,¨
,.:~»~;&@@ ¨ : ~ : : ~ - , @@&;~»~:.,
¨:~«;*=%*& &*%=*;«~:¨
,,.¨¨¨.\%¤ 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. @#%$==--.¨
¨~~*£§¶@## ##@¶§£*~~¨
¨,,¨,=%£ FOR IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A NEW MOON IN #&£%=,¨,,¨
.,-:=§£¶## THE SKY. ##¶£§=:-,.
.,~;$%¤### ###¤%$;~,.
¨^.=\/§%@@ @@%§/\=.^¨
¨,,,,,~;%¶ ¶%;~,,,,,¨
¨¨.=^=*=¤§ §¤=*=^=.¨¨
,,~~*§%&¶£ £¶&%§*~~,,
¨¨,¨..:\&& &&\:..¨,¨¨