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