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