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