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