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