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