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