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