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