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