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