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