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