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