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