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