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