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