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