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