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