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