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