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