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