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