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