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