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