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