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