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