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