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