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