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