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