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