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