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