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