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