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