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