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