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