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