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