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