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