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