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