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