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