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