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