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