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