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