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