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