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