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