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