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