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