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