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