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