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