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