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