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