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