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