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