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