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