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