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