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