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