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