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