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