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