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