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