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