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