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