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