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