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