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