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