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