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