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