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