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