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