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