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