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