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