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