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