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