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