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