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