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