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