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