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