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