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