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