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