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