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