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