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