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