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