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