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