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