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