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