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