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