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