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