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