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