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