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