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