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