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