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