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