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