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