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