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