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