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