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