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