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