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