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