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