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