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