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