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