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