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