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