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