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