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