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