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