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