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