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