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