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