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