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