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