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