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