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