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