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