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