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