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