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