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