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