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