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