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