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