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