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