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