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