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