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