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