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