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