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