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