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