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