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