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