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