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