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