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