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