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