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