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