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