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