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