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