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