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