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