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