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