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