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