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