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