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