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