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