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