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