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