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