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