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