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