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