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