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