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