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