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