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