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