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