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