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