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