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