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