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