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