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