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