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