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