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