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