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