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