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