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