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