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