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