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