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