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