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