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