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