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