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