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