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