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