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