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