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