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