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