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