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