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