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