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