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