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