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