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