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