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