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