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