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