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