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