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