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