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