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