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