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