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