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