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