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