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