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