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