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