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