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