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