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