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