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