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