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