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