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