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