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