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