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