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