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