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