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