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