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