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