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