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