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