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