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