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