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