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