....,,.£#. ,¨.#.,..&£
.#@§¤&,¨¨, ##...¤§,,¨
.,@£§.¨&&, #..£.¨,¨@@
¨¨¨£.¨.,,¨ ,.¨.,&¤,¨,
#£¨..@¤£@@ #§§£,¨¨.##
&¨.&.,¤¤#@ statuette §#&,,@§,.§
,,¨¨¨¨¨@£. ¤£.¨,¨¨.,.
§&@¤&¤.¨¨. &§@%$¤§%£&*£$*&¤=-~-~-~-¤%%¤§£$¤%££&@£¤¤ ...§§@@@##
§@¤@&.,£¤# %@%$£*%¤% &§¨¨&@§##@
£@&@,,¨¨£# .,¨,¨#£¤§£
###,.@&¨,¨ forests around my childhood home. thick @£££.¨&@§&
§£¨.,,.¨@£ pine arcades that were planted and ¨#¤¨.,¨£¤#
@,,@#§¤,.. forgotten. wild boars roaming .¨.¨£§¨.£#
.¨..&#,,£§ underneath, sniffing at the ground. it @¤§.¨...¨@
.&£¨¨¨¨,.¨ is dark and moist, the canopy having @£,.#§§¤¨,
¨,,.££@£¤# already soaked up all the sun. ,¨,¨.£@.¨@
,¤#,,&£&££ @£§§..¨,¨.
,.¨.¨,¤£&§ there's a river passing by, from east .&#¨¨@&¤§§
,@¤@#¨.¤@§ to west, getting broader and deeper and ,,¨¨¨¨££#.
.,¤&¨¨.,@§ slower as it goes. equisetum grow just ,§¤@@¨¨£.,
§,,,,&&¨,, where the pine hands start to let ,.@§.,¨.,&
¨¨&§.,.,&£ through light, horsemint on the rocky ,¨¨.¨¤§£¨.
¤¨,,¨@@¨,, river bed. &££#¨,@¨¨¤
¨¨&@¨¨,.¤§ §#@,¨..¨.¨
£¨.,¨&&.¨. = &§,,£££&££
.,£§,.¨.¤¤ ¨..,¨£&¤@&
.,¨¨¨§£,,¨ the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight #@£@¨¨¤@@.
§#@@,.¨.¤£ they had been a swampworld with sylvan §&¤,,¨¨£¨,
.§§,,#&,¨. water, stone rings and floating moss. &@,,¤@.,,.
,¨...¨,.#¤ you could've found me wallowing around ¨,.,¨¨.&#§
¨£¤@@§§.., on the southern shores until i got @@&£§&.¨¤¨
..¤§&@¨,¤¤ bitten. ,#£#@,,.,.
§.¨££,¨.., ,.#¤¨,#¤££
¨.¨,,,£¤&& but now i'm further back, on solid @.¨¨.¨.&@@
,##@#,.§@§ ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an .,@¤@@..@,
.,#£¨¨¨.§§ orange tin radio and a translucent @¨¨#£¨,,,¨
#.¨,.¤#¨,, umbrella which i'm sitting on. .¨.,¨¨@#@§
,,¤¤,,¨.£¤ §&£@¤,¨&¤#
,¨,,.§¤.,@ ; #@¤£¨,,.@.
&@¤@..,,.¨ £§@.¨£&,,,
,£@,.§@#&, somethings moving in the grass. it's &#,¨.,,¨@¨
¨.,,.¨#§.. invisible to my eyes but i can feel £¨¨§¤£&.¨.
§#@#§,,¨,. through the ground just how large it is. .¨¨,£&,¨#£
¤¤##,¨§¤#& .&@,,¨¨¨,§
&#§,,..£@, the soil is muddy. i slip when trying ¨.,¨£¤§#.,
,£,.#§¨¨¨¨ to get up, still looking at the §@§,¨§&¨.¨
,¨¨.,,¨¤@& direction of sound rather than at my &@¨..,.,@&
,&@&£@,,#§ hands, who are busy putting things in .,¨¤&££..,
.¨¤##¨.¨¨¨ my pockets. &£¨¨§&,¨§&
¨¨.§.,§§§¤ ¤.¨,¨¨¨¨,,
#§..,.,&§¤ then i run east toward my home. ¨,£&§£&¤§#
£,¨###¨¨§§ .¨¨£§#¤&&¤
.¨.,¤,..¨& \ ##,¨£&¤¤&@
,&#,.,¤¤,, §¨,¨.@¤&£,
,,..&,¨¨.. i am not followed, and slow down in the ,.@&¨,#£¨¨
¤¤¤¨.¨#¤§& clearing where you at first can spot #.¨..,,,¨¤
@&.¨&,,@¤& the house, not yet really in the .,#§§££@.,
¨¨¨.¨¨¨¨§§ backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my .¨,@¤&¤¨¨.
¤§#@@£§¨,. radio (now dented) but also a small §§,¨@&¨¨&£
&¤¤£¤¤¨.¤§ clay figure i've never seen before. it ..¨¨¨¨,¨,#
&#&£&...,, must have been laying in the wet dirt, £@§£&&§§..
.&@¤¨.#@&@ and i must've picked it up with my ¨#§§#&#,,¨
¨¨¤....£££ other belongings. ,,&#¤§¨,¤@
,,,,£#,,@# #.¨@¤,.,,¨
@#§,¨¨¨¨., it's a statuette of a girl laying naked ¨,¨.,.&&#@
#@,.@&¤#¤& on her stomach, feet in the air, #¤¤£#.,£&&
@,¨¨.&£&&£ roughly seven centimeters long. it's ¤§§@,,.,@&
..¤§.,@£¤¤ freshly made, not yet completely dried. @@§¨,§@.,£
,,..,.,#&, £@,¨¨¨,¨,¨
#@#&&§¨¨¨. my mom is here now. i ask her for some ,..&§#&@@&
¤¤£&#,¨#§£ particle board for it to dry on, but ¤£¨,¤¤####
§££¤,¨,,#£ she is worried and wants me to ,..¨.&@¤@§
@¤#,,#¤.,¨ throw it away. £#¤¤¨¨@¤&£
£&,,¨,¨,§£ ¨§@,,,.££@
§..§¤@@,.. ¨,.,§§,.&£
¨,¨¨§&¨,£& §§§...,.¨£
,@£..,,,., #¤,¨¤#¤£.,
,,¨,&££&£¤ ¨,,¨.&¤¨,#
,#@,.#§£#¤ ¤&¤§¨¨¨.,¨