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