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