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