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