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