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