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