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