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