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