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