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