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