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