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