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