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