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