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