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