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