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