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