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