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