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