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