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