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