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