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