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