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