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