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