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