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