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