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