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