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