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