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