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