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