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