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