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