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