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