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