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