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