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