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