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