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