&..¨,.¨¨&, ¨..,¨.#.¨,
..@@§£¤.¨¨ ¤§&¤&¨,,£¨
¤.¨@&&,,£, &@§@,¨@,,.
..¨.#,¨¨,. &§#,..,,#.
&§#,.¨@§@# ¨@¨.#£§,¨.
.#¨¨@.¨#@& 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. &@&§¤&§£@£
#£#&§¤@§#& @&@@@§&§@§
#£@£@&@£§# #£&@¤§&¤§£
@£¤£¤#§@&£ £@&@¤&¤#@@
¤#§¤@&§@¤& §£§¤#&£¤£#
¤¤¤§¤#@&@@ @#¤#@§££@#
£@£@§@£&## £§&@@@@#§§