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